Claude Code Skills

Skills extend Claude Code’s capabilities for this course. Install these skills to enable specialized functionality for data analysis and research.

Course Instructions (CLAUDE.md)

The CLAUDE.md file contains important course-specific instructions for Claude Code. This file tells Claude to use the rice-data-query skill for all Rice database queries.

Download: CLAUDE.md

Installation location: .claude/CLAUDE.md

Quick Installation

The easiest way to install skills is to ask Claude Code to do it for you:

Tell Claude Code:

"Download and install the rice-data-query and merge skills, plus CLAUDE.md
from mgmt638.kerryback.com/skills/"

Claude Code will download the files and place them in the correct location.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually, follow these steps:

1. Directory Structure

Skills must be placed in .claude/skills/ within your course folder:

your-course-folder/
├── .claude/
│   └── skills/
│       ├── rice-data-query/
│       │   ├── SKILL.md
│       │   ├── README.md
│       │   ├── rice_monthly_returns.py
│       │   └── rice_sf1_query.py
│       └── merge/
│           ├── SKILL.md
│           ├── README.md
│           └── merge_returns_fundamentals.py

2. Create the Directory

In your course folder, create the skills directory:

Mac/Linux:

mkdir -p .claude/skills

Windows (PowerShell):

New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path .claude\skills -Force

3. Download Skills

Click the links below to download each skill file, then place them in the appropriate folder.

Available Skills

Skill Description Last Updated
Rice Data Query Query the Rice Business Stock Market Data Portal using SQL 11-04-2025
Merge Merge financial datasets with proper date alignment 11-04-2025

Rice Data Query

Query the Rice Business Stock Market Data Portal using natural language. This skill enables Claude Code to fetch stock prices, fundamentals, insider trades, and other financial data.

Files to download:

Installation location: .claude/skills/rice-data-query/

Note: The Python scripts are helper modules that Claude Code imports when using this skill. They enable efficient, reusable code execution without rewriting queries.

What it does:

  • Generates SQL queries for the Rice Data Portal
  • Handles date formatting and window functions
  • Saves data as parquet files
  • Provides detailed database schema information

Example usage:

"Get end-of-month adjusted closing prices for AAPL since 2020 from the Rice database"

Last updated: 11-04-2025

Merge

Expert guidance for merging financial datasets with different frequencies and proper date alignment.

Files to download:

Installation location: .claude/skills/merge/

Note: The Python script is a helper module that Claude Code imports when using this skill to perform proper date-aligned merges.

What it does:

  • Merges weekly returns with SF1 fundamentals
  • Ensures proper date alignment to avoid look-ahead bias
  • Handles forward filling of fundamental data
  • Will expand to cover other merge scenarios

Example usage:

"Merge my weekly returns data with quarterly ROE from SF1"

Last updated: 11-04-2025

Verification

After installation, verify the skills are installed correctly:

Tell Claude Code:

"List the skills in .claude/skills/"

You should see rice-data-query and merge folders with their respective files.

Getting Help

Each skill includes a README.md file with detailed documentation. If you encounter issues:

  1. Check that files are in the correct directory (.claude/skills/)
  2. Ensure all required files are present for each skill
  3. Restart Claude Code if skills don’t appear immediately
  4. Ask Claude Code to check the skill installation

Prerequisites

Rice Data Query

Before using this skill, you need:

  1. An access token from the Rice Data Portal

  2. A .env file in your course folder with:

    RICE_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_token_here

Claude Code can help you create the .env file once you have your token.

Merge

Requires:

  • Python 3.x with pandas installed
  • Weekly returns data (from rice-data-query skill)
  • SF1 fundamental data (from rice-data-query skill)